As stated in the article “for the first time in its history, Medicare will soon track spending on millions of individual beneficiaries, reward hospitals that hold down costs and penalize those whose patients prove most expensive.”

It’s another take on pay for performance which can leave hospitals responsible for the cost of care rendered not only by them, but also by any doctors the patient sees after they leave the hospital.

We’d love to know what you think about this plan to “pay 4 performance”. Leave us a comment after you’ve read the article.

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If you’ve never worked a sales position, then you pretty much got paid just for showing up to work, even if you don’t perform your best.  Imagine if the amount of money you earned was directly tied into your level of performance on the job? Most people avoid sales positions because they need the guarantee of steady income and don’t want to be judged on the job.

Lately, a lot of industries are using a pay for performance strategy, including healthcare. Pay for performance can impact the state of the industry by affecting the cost and quality of healthcare. We like to see the healthcare industry is taking a page out of the business handbook.

At MAS, we love the concept and practice it with our Pay 4 Performance guarantee. Our medical billing clients don’t pay us until they get paid. We love accepting the challenge of hitting account receivables and collections goals for our clients.

We see “pay 4 performance” as an incentive produce. We know when we work hard we’ll get paid for the results. Here’s a question for you. Would you “work for performance”? Let us know what you think about the pay for performance concept.

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Your Medical Billing Office Newsletter Preview

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The choices that our elected officials make for us have serious long term impact on our lives. When I think of all  the various election ads, propaganda and promises going around, it reminds me of the drama and devastation MAS and others experienced with one decision made by elected officials–the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

When they decided to close St. Vincent’s Hospital, had damaging ripple effects.  To me, seeing the hospital close was painful but maybe there were lessons for us to learn from.

For many years MAS was proud to be one of the hard-working vendors of this caring institution. Our MAS team was honored to be a part of such a pioneering and historic hospital as St Vincent’s, treated not only passengers on the Titanic, but also AIDS victims in the 1980′s when few other facilities would. When they decided to close St. Vincent’s it was like losing a part of the MAS family. Maybe because it was because St Vincent’s was one of MAS’ original clients and we wanted to keep it that way.
While working with the institution through Chapter 11, St Vincent’s management asked its many employees and vendors to tighten their belts to help the hospital through the bankruptcy process. All involved did what they could to help because we thought taking temporary pay cuts would do the trick to put a struggling hospital back on its feet. For a while, it looked as if things were taking a turn for the better. But the one thing we did not count on was that the core was already rotten; like our government has become, it was rife with bureaucracy and corruption.

Behind the scenes a snowball of bad choices had already begun.  Mark Levin, in a recent New York Magazine article entitled “St Vincent’s Is the Lehman Brothers of Hospitals” lays out details that lead to the hospital’s behind the scenes corruption and demise.

Davis writes “St. Vincent’s plight has been portrayed by public officials and the media as a story of local misfortune—a community losing a vital piece of its infrastructure and a centerpiece of its identity to a combination of mismanagement, the recession, and bad luck. The truth, though, is considerably more alarming.  St. Vincent’s collapse is only the most visible symptom of an ongoing financial emergency facing the city’s five dozen remaining hospitals and threatening those they serve.  In a sense, St. Vincent’s is the Lehman Brothers of the local hospital industry: an institution whose dramatic disappearance, once unthinkable, raises dire questions about the viability of the entire system.”
I wonder if our leaders are taking our citizens down a similar path.  As I listen to various campaign speeches, I hear eerie echoes of the bankrupted hospital as our ”wannabe” leaders try to convince us how just one more tax will do the trick!  Or, that this bailout will be the one to build a stronger future!
For MAS the lesson is clear-Let’s fix the core issues first!  Like St Vincent Hospital, our country is more than worth saving from bankruptcy!  When we use tried and true steps, there is no doubt our people will see the logic in it and rally around it.

I think this is just what we are waiting for-leaders who are going to take the most basic steps to strengthen our country’s core and put the USA back on firm footing.

There are a few good choices this Election Day; my advice is to check with yourself, think about what you would do to rise out of a possible bankruptcy and vote accordingly.  One smart choice will lead us to fixing our core. Go out and vote and good luck.

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For most of its 24 years in the healthcare field, MAS has focused most of our talents working with hospital and clinics.  When MAS decided it was time to lend our talent and expand our client base toward doctor groups and individual practitioners, we knew that there we some misconceptions about outsourcing.  We knew we would have to help to change the culture of what outsourcing really does.

At MAS we consider ourselves a “medical billing company”.  Medical billing companies do much more then offer the choice of keeping your billing staff in-house or sending your accounts receivable out.  Hospitals have been using medical billing agencies since the 1970′s.  They have learned to use each agency to complement their own expertise and weaknesses.

For instance, hospitals have reversed the trend of outsourcing all of their in-patient billing so they can put a concentrated effort on receivables by putting their best and brightest to streamline and maximize that part of the A/R.

It’s a good policy because it puts them in control of their own destiny.  They can directly manage the bread and butter of how a hospital will pay their payroll and important bills.  However,  most hospitals are smart enough to know they can’t do it all.  For some hospitals, it’s best to send their no-fault billing to a qualified billing company because of the  legal knowledge neededd to get these claims paid.

Companies like MAS are looking to change the face of outsourcing to let doctors and doctor groups know that its not all or nothing!  We are here to help grow your business.

When you learn to properly delegate the areas that you aren’t strong in, you can focus on your strengths and leverage your team where they can produce the best results for you!

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The provisions now effective are:

• Expansion of the dependent age up to 26 years. Until now, dependents were no longer covered by their parents’ or guardians’ insurance after 19 years of age, or if in college, after 23 years.

• No annual or lifetime dollar limits to amount of money spent on health services.

• No denying coverage to children under 19 years of age for preexisting conditions.

• Coverage for all preventative services with no co-pays.

This is according to Kelly McGivern, president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Association of Health Plans, who also said the new rules are expected to increase costs of insurance premiums 5 percent

Are you confused? “I have been in healthcare for 25 years and I am just not sure what it all means.”  But I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and working through it.

See our popular blog: (first posted August 8, 2010) below as a reminder of what we might be on for.

When it comes to wading the waters of the “New Health Care System“, to quote Chief  Brody from the movies JAWS “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!”

Check out Congressman Brady’s New Health Care Chart below. If there was ever a time to hire a Medical Billing company like Medical Account Solutions, it’s right about now!

I’m sure you’ll agree that when you’re face to face with a big shark,  it’s no time to go ” Rogue”. Don’t try to do it alone. MAS stands ready to help you navigate your way to firm footing in these uncertain waters.

Let MAS handle the details so your health care organization can stay afloat, because if you don’t move quickly,  this “shark” will swallow you whole.

Congressman Brady Introduces “Your New Health Care System” Chart

July, 28, 2010 — nicedeb

“

A little sunshine goes a long way”.

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Bill Baylis, President of  Medical Account Solutions

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Well MAS is here to tell you that medical billing is so much more than just submitting codes to insurance companies and following up to receive payment checks. In fact, we’re more than just medical billers, we are profit recovery specialists. We work proactively as an extension of your team to manage your revenue and cash flow so that you can focus on what’s important–patient care.

MAS understands that while it’s important to get the codes right, it’s also very important to remember the human conditions behind the codes. With our team of talented medical billing experts, Medical Account Solutions (MAS) can help your health care organization identify and focus on your unique problem filling in  the void to keep your billing processes running smoothly.

We look at monthly trends to see if there are any areas that we can help you improve and streamline your processes to maintain good cash flow. Our problem solving approach means we work harder to make sure that your patient’s important procedures are reimbursed because we know that denied claims hurts them and you.

Why do we care so much?  It’s not just about the codes and the numbers. Simply medical billing is fun to us.(when was the last time you heard that). We enjoy fighting on your behalf with the insurance company”s to get claims paid. Going the extra mile to get rejections over turn and doing our part to take the pressure off a growing medical group.When MAS processes your medical billing, we know we’re boosting your productivity so you can see more patients. We know that when we get it right, it’s a win for you and a win for your patients.

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Check out Congressman Brady’s New Health Care Chart below. If there was ever a time to hire a Medical Billing company like Medical Account Solutions, it’s right about now!

I’m sure you’ll agree that when you’re face to face with a big shark,  it’s no time to go ” Rogue”. Don’t try to do it alone. MAS stands ready to help you navigate your way to firm footing in these uncertain waters.

Let MAS handle the details so your health care organization can stay afloat, because if you don’t move quickly,  this “shark” will swallow you whole.

Congressman Brady Introduces “Your New Health Care System” Chart

July, 28, 2010 — nicedeb

“

A little sunshine goes a long way”.

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